Baptisms and a Birthday

Last week we finished ESL classes and Kids Club tutoring for the Fall 2016 term. What a blessing to look back on all that God has done over the past 3+ months! He has answered many prayers:

• The students in my classes have made great personal accomplishments! One lady, Nae, in my Level 2 class has really begun to open up and express herself through English conversation. A few weeks ago, she shared with the class that before she started attending English classes at For the Nations, she had never been to school or learned how to write her name, even in her own language. 
• I was blessed with lots of opportunities to expand my ESL teaching experience, both as a teacher's assistant for Level 2, sign language instructor for a deaf Level 2 student, and as a substitute teacher for Levels 1 and 3. Subbing for Level 3 was a personal highlight, and challenged me a lot as a teacher! The students were eager and active learners, and I had to work hard to find new ways to stretch them and help them apply what they learned. We had a lot of fun writing dialogs and acting them out, discussing American holidays, and articulating what stood out to each of us from the group Bible lessons. Some of them are believers, and they encourage me with their humility and profound insights.
• Five African young ladies were baptized two weeks ago! Huda, Samya, Asima, and Alya* were some of the first children in the FTNRO Kids Clubs, who have since come to believe in Jesus and are now serving as youth interns with For the Nations. The fifth girl, Mona, is Alya's little sister. It is such a joy to see these girls growing in the Lord and investing back into the younger generation of refugee kids. Praise God!

  

  Elijah enjoying a Christmas cookie

• Since most of the children didn't have homework last week, Sarah Risdon (the awesome Children's Programs director) and I turned our Kids Club meetings into Christmas parties -- what fun! Praise God for the opportunities we had to share the true Christmas story with these children, both in reading the Bible story and in one-on-one conversations. The children asked a lot of good questions that demonstrated . For many of the kids, it was apparently the first time they connected the birth of Isa (Jesus) the Son of Maryam (Mary) with the festive celebrations we have in the West. As little Nadia said, "Wow, we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday?!"

Such a good reminder of the privilege we have to celebrate the incarnation of heaven's King, Who has "visited us to accomplish redemption for His people" and to "guide our feet into the way of peace" (from Luke 1). What good news of great joy for all the people, that there has been born for us a Savior -- Christ the Lord (from Luke 2)!

I ask you to pray with me through this holiday season for the following requests:

• Nae and I have exchanged phone numbers in case she needs help with English homework over Christmas break. She is from a Catholic family from an oppressed people group of Burma. Pray that we would be able to meet and that God would direct our conversation to Jesus.
• Htwa (my deaf friend) desires to get a driver's license so she can get a job, but she failed her road test last week and feels discouraged. Pray for God's provision and that she will understand His love for her. She is also from a Catholic family.
• Pray for Huda, Samya, Asima, Alya, and Mona to grow spiritually and have wisdom and boldness with unsaved family members.
• Please pray that God will give me wisdom as I transition into a full-time, on-support role at For the Nations. Raising financial support is a new and humbling challenge for me; pray that I will be teachable and trust God for provision, and that He will guide me to the right ministry partnerships in His timing.

*My prayer cards arrived yesterday, so please send me your address so I can send you one! Also, don't forget to let me know if you would like to partner with me as part of my prayer team or in financial support! Feel free to email/call/text me if you have any questions.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Have a blessed Christmas, and may the peace of Christ rule in our hearts as we enter the new year!

The preschoolers sang Away in a Manger for their parents in ESL :)

*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

An Open Door

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” Matthew 28:18-19a

After the Bible lesson at after-school tutoring, Nadia* handed me a wrinkled sheet of notebook paper. The energetic 2nd-grader proudly announced, “See, I listened so well today!” and proceeded to explain her series of drawings: “Here are Adam and Eve, happy because they love God. But then they listened to the snake in this tree instead of God. Adam and Eve became sad about their sin, because sin leads to death. But here’s Jesus; He died on the cross as our sacrifice!” My eyes welled with tears as I listened to this tiny refugee from one of the most war-torn, hostile-to-the-gospel countries in the world – showing me her very own gospel tract! I’m so thankful God brought Nadia’s family to my “neighborhood,” and for the open door to share Jesus with refugees locally in Dallas, TX.

Isn’t it exciting to see how God is moving to draw children of every tribe and nation to Himself? The devastating wars and genocides throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are creating a refugee crisis that has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. But I’m convinced God is also using these circumstances to bring the nations into contact with the Gospel! As followers of Jesus, we have a golden opportunity to show Christ’s love and make disciples of the least-reached nations of the world.

Speaking of opportunities, I’m excited to share with you about the door God has opened for me to commit to refugee missions full-time as the Assistant Director of Child & Youth Services at For the Nations Refugee Outreach in Dallas, TX. For the Nations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving refugees’ practical and spiritual needs through ESL & citizenship classes, kids’ tutoring & outreach, acculturation, and Bible teaching, all in Jesus’ name. The organization is funded by private donations, and all staff must raise their own financial support. To learn more about the mission and ministry of For the Nations, check out ftnro.org or read a summary in this post from my blog.

My responsibilities in the children’s department at For the Nations will include: strengthening existing child & youth services for a variety of ages (such as after-school tutoring, neighborhood outreaches, summer programs, preschool, youth Bible studies & leadership programs, etc.), organizing events, preparing curriculum & classrooms, training & supervising volunteers, as well as substitute-teaching/tutoring for adult ESL classes. Personally, I am excited to apply the gifts and resources God has given me 1) to teach, mentor, & inspire youth to enjoy learning, serve others, and grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and 2) to motivate & assist churches to engage in refugee ministry.

During the past year I have been balancing For the Nations volunteering with various other part-time jobs, but I am eager to be able to commit full-time to serving local refugee families. This is not a ministry I can do alone, but will require a committed prayer & financial support team. Ideally, my plan is to transition into the full-time position at the end of January 2017; however, I must first reach a minimum of half of my goal, raised in either one-time or monthly amounts. Until then, I will only be able to serve part-time. I am praying for 100 committed prayer partners and for 25 individuals or groups who will partner with me financially at $100/month (or whatever amount the Lord may lay on your heart), toward my goal of $2,500 in monthly support. Will you pray and ask God how He might desire you to join me in this ministry?

If you would like to partner with me through your financial support, you can give online at ftnro.org/maryellen, or by check payable to “For the Nations: Refugee Outreach” and write “Maryellen” on the memo line. All contributions are tax deductible. For more information about giving options, please see the attached form. Thank you for your support; your gift of any amount is appreciated and your heart for ministry is such an encouragement to me.

If you would like to join my prayer support team, please send your mailing address to maryellen@ftnro.org so I can send you a prayer card. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area. Thank you for praying for me and this ministry; you are an encouragement to me and you are making an eternal impact. For prayer updates and stories about my past, present, & future experiences with refugees here in Dallas, subscribe to this blog in the right-hand column by entering your email address and following the instructions.

If refugee ministry excites you like it does me, or if you know others who might be interested in learning more and/or supporting me as a missionary, I would be thrilled to get together with you to share more details, or to give a presentation for your church or other group. My contact info is listed below. Let’s get in touch!

Thank you for reading this long post, and for your interest in this ministry. Let’s persevere in making disciples of all the nations!

Current Prayer Requests:

- Pray that Nadia* will come to realize her personal need for Jesus and for her family’s salvation.
- Pray for the FTNRO staff & volunteers to have wisdom, stamina, and love as we lead classes & outreaches, and that we will be alert to opportunities to share Christ in creative ways during the Christmas season.
- Pray for me as I transition from my current jobs into raising support (this is new for me!), and for God’s clear direction and provision during this season of preparation.
- Let me know how I can specifically pray for you!


*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

A Refugee Thanksgiving

Last Thursday while I was substitute teaching for the Level 3 English class, we talked about the story of the first Thanksgiving. They surprised me with their excellent comprehension, though I'm sure it resonated as many of them, like the Pilgrims, also fled religious (and ethnic) persecution in Burma and China. It occurred to me how appropriate it is to celebrate this holiday with people who are experiencing firsthand the blessings of God's protection and provision as they settle in this great nation. May America always be used of God as a land of safety, bounty, and opportunity for the oppressed.

This week we had two Thanksgiving potlucks, one for the morning-classes group and one for the afternoon-classes group. I went to the afternoon-classes potluck with my students; many of their children I also know from Kids Club. It was a lot of fun teaching my friends from Burma about American traditions, and the meal was an interesting assortment of traditional American Thanksgiving fare along with various spicy noodle dishes from Burma and injera bread from Ethiopia. Yum! And of course, in typical Asian custom, we took pictures and selfies - lots and lots of selfies! I am so thankful and blessed to have been welcomed into the lives of these sweet friends here in Dallas, TX.

"I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to You among the nations." Psalm 57:9

*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Groundbreaking!

On September 21, 2016, For the Nations Refugee Outreach had a Groundbreaking celebration to start the construction of a refugee community center. This facility will function as a school, church, and physical presence in the community, and will allow For the Nations to accommodate twice as many refugees so that more people can receive help and hear the good news found in Jesus Christ! Although I was unable to attend the ceremony, it's exciting to see how God is answering prayers through the progress of this project.

"This building is dedicated to everyone forced to leave their homes. To all who have run for their lives. To everyone who has experienced war, trauma, hunger, and pain. To those who are looking for a home. To refugees. Despite hardship, you are the most determined, willing, & hopeful group of people we could ever know. You are brave, kind, hospitable. You add character and depth to our country, and we are better because of you. This building is dedicated to you and to all those who will come after you. And in this place, we will welcome those who are far away from their homes. For those looking for an education, we will teach and for those seeking friendship, we will show love. For anyone far from their family, we will become a family. This place will be a symbol of hope for a bright future through education and an understanding of the American culture. But most importantly, this building will be a place where the true hope found in Jesus Christ can be proclaimed, and where the Message of life in a world of death can be shared to all nations. It's with this Hope and Good News that we dedicate this place to you! For you. For the Nations." (taken from the FTNRO Facebook page)

Fall News Update

It has been such a long time since I've written about what's been going on at For the Nations since classes started back up at the beginning of September! But so much HAS been happening here, and I'll try to summarize some of the highlights:

1) Back-to-school event - Just before school started back up in August, my mom and sister joined me, along with some youth from our church, for this event for kids and their parents. We had games, crafts, a Bible story, and passed out backpacks with school supplies to refugee children at their apartment complex.

2) ESL classes - Last spring, I spent one day a week at For the Nations, but this year I'm thankful that my schedule allows me to be there for all four afternoons each week of English classes so I can assist Htwa Meh (my deaf friend whom I wrote about in a previous post) and others more consistently. In addition to serving as the TA for Level 2, I've also enjoyed getting teaching experience with a variety of levels as a substitute teacher for other classes.

3) Kids Club - Kids Club continues to be my favorite weekly activity! On Tuesday evenings at an apartment complex with refugees mostly from Burma, I get to supervise the cute little kindergarteners and first-graders as they work on their spelling lists, math, and reading. All the kids, including the older ones, really get excited about the Bible story time. I remember one time when the Bible teacher said something about all of us needing Jesus to take care of our sin problem, one little girl exclaimed, "Yeah! We don't just want Jesus, we really REALLY need Him, a LOT!" Praise God for these young ones voicing the truth. :)

Our Thursday evening Kids Club has grown to almost twice as many kids as last year, which is exciting! And it's been so fun to have two former refugee Kids-Clubbers, who are now believers full of joy and energy, come back as volunteer tutors to invest in the children! Thank God for these dear young ladies. Please continue to pray for many of the kids to understand that Jesus isn't just for America, or for cultural Christians, but also for all the tribes and cultures of Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia, and Congo (I'm sure I've forgotten someone's country haha! But you get the point. :)

4) The Legacy Project - We have grown so much that the church buildings we rent as classrooms are simply not big enough to accommodate the number of refugees that want to enroll in English & citizenship classes. While it is exciting to see God bringing so many to a place where they will encounter the Gospel, I wish we didn't have to turn people away. But Lord willing, in about a year For the Nations will have completed construction on a refugee community center, which will give us a physical presence in the community and allow for twice the number of refugees we currently serve. I'll include some photos of the recent Groundbreaking ceremony in another post. For more info about the Legacy Project, check out this link.

Finally, one of the most exciting developments this fall (at least for me personally!), is that I have been asked to join For the Nations as a full-time staff member! Lord willing, I will begin as Assistant Director of Child & Youth Services this coming January. I really appreciate your prayers as I seek God's wisdom and raise a financial/prayer support team. But more about that in an upcoming post. ;)

Recent Changes to Refugee Resettlement in Texas

Here's an article that explains Texas governor Greg Abbott's announcement that Texas will no longer coordinate with federal refugee resettlement. Refugees will, in fact, still be resettled in Texas, but will now be administrated by nonprofit organizations (like For the Nations) instead of state agencies. Personally, I think this can be a good thing, but these organizations need prayer in this adjustment.

State of Texas won't resettle refugees, but nonprofits will continue to help

Summer Kids' Reading Program 2016

An awesome summer with these awesome kids!!! So many stories with each of these photos and each of these children...

(Photo credits: Maryellen Smith & For the Nations)

(Music credits: Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team)

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 19:14

Graduation Day -- May 2016

What a special day of honoring the accomplishments of the adult students, who all worked so hard this year in their English, GED, and citizenship classes. Thanks for joining the fun, Mom! So much food from so many countries. Another highlight was getting to hear an Iranian refugee share his powerful testimony in English & Farsi! So thankful for Cameron & Kaitlyn and their vision and tireless efforts for this outreach. Because "learning English is good, but learning about Jesus is much, much better."

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." Matthew 28:19a

Building Bridges with Burmese Friends

This was the last week of classes for the year at For the Nations. Though I'm sad that I won't see many of my international friends and students for a while, it's a blessing to look back over this semester at all they have learned, as well as all they have taught me. Since we will be celebrating their accomplishments at the FTNRO graduation ceremony tomorrow and I still haven't written about my adult ESL class, I'd like to share about a few of the students who have impacted me the most.

In my Level 1 adult ESL class, I typically sit between whichever two students need the most assistance and guide them through the lesson at their own pace, while the teacher instructs the rest of the class. This is Htwa Meh (right). She is from Myanmar (Burma), a country in Southeast Asia where minority ethnic groups, such as the Karenni, suffer from internal ethnic conflicts. Several of the students in my class, including Htwa Meh, are Karenni, and most have no background in English. Htwa Meh came to America about three years ago, but this was her first year to enroll in English classes here at FTNRO. What is most remarkable about Htwa Meh's success in English this year is the fact that she is deaf. That's right, she's trying to learn a written language for the first time, with unique phonetics that she can't even hear, at the pace of a roomful of hearing students! So back in February when I was asked to sit with her each Thursday during class, I gulped, prayed, and wondered how to teach a deaf person in a class that includes listening/repeating exercises and pronunciation. But God knew what He was doing. Htwa Meh was determined to learn, and she surprised me with her ability at lip-reading. Even better, one of the teachers had already taught her the American Sign Language alphabet, and because I had taken ASL in my last semester of college, I was able to teach her basic ASL vocabulary to go along with each English lesson. Once she finally realized that ASL is a legitimate language, we started having a lot of fun with it and bonding. She has made incredible progress in both English and ASL, and was one of the fastest learners in the class! Trying to interpret for her during the Bible lessons with our limited vocabulary was a challenge, however. Even though her background is strongly Catholic, I sense that she has very little concept of what is in the Bible. It is my prayer that she will someday be able to watch the Deaf Bible in ASL (www.deafbiblesociety.com) and understand its message of salvation!

Oo Meh (to the left of me) is another Karenni woman from the same ESL class as Htwa Meh. When she started class this year, she knew zero English and was entirely illiterate, even in her own language. She was shy and wanted to blend in with the group, constantly repeating under her breath whatever the teacher said without comprehending the meaning. When I tried to help her with the alphabet, she struggled a lot just learning to hold the pencil and tracing the letter "A." But gradually she began to pronounce simple words and associate them with pictures, and can now even write her name and copy words from the whiteboard! In recent weeks, some students from the Graduate Institute for Applied Linguistics (GIAL) in Dallas have been creating simple vocabulary sheets with pictures and corresponding words in her native language, but written with the Latin (English) alphabet. This provides a bridge between the two languages and gives phonetic meaning to letters on a page. It has helped Oo Meh immensely with adjusting to written language, and as this tool develops it will hopefully be useful for many similar Burmese students in the future. Even in this last week of class, I noticed how much confidence Oo Meh has gained. I'll never forget the smile on her face when she was the first to recognize and call out the "kitchen" flashcard! It has been very eye-opening and humbling to be the “teacher” for this dear woman who has so much she should be teaching me! She inspires me by her perseverance to learn new and hard things at her age.

I didn't know what to expect when I first signed up to help with an ESL class, having little experience and no certifications. But God knew just where He could use me most and teach me most. When I "randomly" decided to take ASL for fun in college, I had no idea I would actually have a use for it a month later. But "we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).


*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

This is the next generation...

One of my biggest highlights of my spring at For the Nations has been Thursday afternoons at Kids' Club, when twelve to fifteen 4- to 12-year-olds come sprinting from the van to greet us. Four or five of us volunteers and staff members help the older kids with their homework assignments and direct the younger ones to work on coloring and activity sheets. As you might imagine, it's an interesting challenge trying to communicate the significance of Texas history names and dates to a bunch of Afghan and Ethiopian refugee kids who can barely pronounce them! But it is always rewarding to watch these scholars make connections once someone has taken the time to explain their social studies or math concepts on an individual level.

When it's time for the Bible lesson, one of the staff shares a short Bible story and reviews the creation-fall-redemption narrative. It always makes me smile to hear these kids (from different religious backgrounds) enthusiastically filling in aspects of the gospel story they have learned this year. Some of them ask excellent and thought-provoking questions. One particularly bright 6th-grader, Hassan, asked just the other week, "Why did Jesus have to be baptized, since he didn't have any sin?" Last week I was able to follow up with him and explain more about Jesus' identity and how He fulfilled everything written about Him. Such an awesome privilege to be able to talk freely with the youth from some of the most "restricted" nations in the world!

The opportunities also come with obstacles. These kids have no problems learning and reciting biblical truths, as they belong to a culture that values religion and even shares the same Bible characters. But one-on-one, they often share things their parents have told them about God and eternity that are simply truth twisted. They love to discuss spiritual things, but it is a challenge to help them understand the personal implications of God's truth.

Pray for these children, that Jesus will reach into their lives and that they will realize their need for a Savior. Pray that they will read the gospel books and watch the Jesus films they received for Easter, and that their families will find salvation in Christ. And please pray for wisdom & boldness for us tutors; next Thursday is our last Kids' Club of the school year. Pray that we'll take advantage of opportunities to share the Truth  with these children through VBS this summer!

*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Creative Connections

I have found that getting involved with refugee outreach is so much more than just teaching English or having fun with kids. It's about connecting with people, hearing their stories, and becoming part of each others' lives. And it is amazing to watch how God can direct women from totally different backgrounds to cross paths and find that we actually have so much in common!

Having prayed for a creative way to advance my language learning, I first met Rafia after asking a friend if she knew someone with whom I could practice speaking Arabic in an informal sort of English/Arabic language exchange. She then introduced me to Rafia, a young woman from East Africa who speaks fluent Arabic (among other languages) but very little English. She was delighted to meet someone who attempted to speak/understand her language, and I was delighted (and a little overwhelmed) to practice my very rusty and limited Arabic! She immediately recognized my colloquial dialect, and that's when we discovered our "Egyptian connection." She had spent nearly three years in Egypt prior to gaining refugee status in the U.S.

As we reminisced about the charms and the woes of life in Cairo, I realized in a new way how God never wastes anything that happens in our past, and He has a way of answering our prayers in creative and unexpected ways! But it also reminded me how sovereign God is and how small this world is. As a kid, I had carelessly observed countless refugees attempting to pass through Egypt from oppressive and war-torn countries and hoping toward an eventual better life in the West. Now I was chatting in the home of one of them, welcoming her on the other end of her journey to "my country, America." Realizing this was incredibly humbling; we had literally walked the same streets, yet we come from vastly different walks of life. I don't know why God has allowed me the blessings of being a citizen of a free country and living in safety with my Christian family, or why He would allow another girl in her 20's to arrive in America only after a possibly permanent separation from her home and family and nearly losing her life. But God knows His purposes, and He has given His followers the opportunity to be a part of that purpose as channels of His love. "For the love of Christ compels us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Introduction

Welcome friends! This blog is intended to be a way of making myself accountable to record what I learn through my experiences working with refugees in the Dallas area, so that I can look back on what God has taught me and how He worked in people's lives. It's meant to be personal, and I most certainly won't be offended if you don't read it. But if you do, I hope the stories, pictures, and articles will encourage you to pray for God's work among international refugees and inspire you to seize opportunities for joining Him in that work in your neighborhoods. I'd really love to hear your stories, as well as any comments, questions, or ideas you may have!

*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in posts, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

"For the Nations" - Some Background Info

Dallas has the second largest refugee population in the U.S. with over 200,000 refugees in the greater Dallas area. For the Nations Refugee Outreach serves about 1,550 legal & permanent refugees annually, coming from over 20 countries including Burma, Thailand, D.R. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. They include men, women & children of all ages, speaking over 50 different languages, and coming from a variety of religious backgrounds. All have persevered though incredible challenges and dangers, interviews and screenings before becoming among the privileged few to arrive here in the U.S. These people are desperate to learn English and the basics of navigating life here in America, are eager and grateful to anyone willing to help them, and in most cases have incredibly open hearts and minds. What an amazing opportunity to share the love of Jesus!

For the Nations seeks to serve refugees in the Dallas area through education, acculturation, and sharing with them the good news of Jesus Christ. Primarily we do this through ESL, literacy and citizenship classes and GED prep for adults. There is a preschool class while parents are in ESL class, and after-school homework help & English practice for pre-K through 8th graders. All classes are free of charge and offered to anyone, but attendance is required to stay in the program. There are also occasional classes on cooking, computer literacy, job skills, etc., as well as an intensive summer reading/ESL program for recent arrivals to the U.S. The organization has seen many of their students successfully integrate into their jobs and communities.

Most importantly, every class/event includes a Scripture passage and presentation of the Gospel, strategically placed in the middle of the class time as a required part of the curriculum. Throughout the course of the year, this presentation begins with the Creation account and ends with the Resurrection. The outreach has seen several believe as a result of these teaching times and the relationships that have developed.

I first learned about FTNRO last summer through someone my mom met, after I had been praying towards possibly working with refugees in some way. I’m so thankful God enabled me to get involved already this January, and that my other part-time jobs allow me to spend all day on Thursdays with the outreach. I volunteer as a pre-K assistant, ESL teacher’s assistant, and a Kids' Club tutor, and although it has stretched me in various ways, I am thoroughly loving it!

(statistics and information gathered from For the Nations literature)


*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*